1961 Iowa Hawkeyes football team
| 1961 Iowa Hawkeyes football | |
|---|---|
| Conference | Big Ten Conference |
| Record | 5–4 (2–4 Big Ten) |
| Head coach |
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| MVP | Al Hinton |
| Captains |
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| Home stadium | Iowa Stadium |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | W | L | T | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 2 Ohio State $ | 6 | – | 0 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 0 | – | 1 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 6 Minnesota | 6 | – | 1 | – | 0 | 8 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 8 Michigan State | 5 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 7 | – | 2 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| No. 12 Purdue | 4 | – | 2 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Wisconsin | 4 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Michigan | 3 | – | 3 | – | 0 | 6 | – | 3 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Iowa | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 5 | – | 4 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Northwestern | 2 | – | 4 | – | 0 | 4 | – | 5 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Indiana | 0 | – | 6 | – | 0 | 2 | – | 7 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Illinois | 0 | – | 7 | – | 0 | 0 | – | 9 | – | 0 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The 1961 Iowa Hawkeyes football team was an American football team that represented the University of Iowa as a member of the Big Ten Conference during the 1961 Big Ten football season. In their first year under head coach Jerry Burns, the Hawkeyes compiled a 5–4 record (2–4 in conference game), tied for seventh place in the Big Ten, and outscored opponents by a total of 215 to 162. The team was ranked No. 1 in the AP poll at the start of the season but dropped out of the polls after losing four consecutive games.
The 1960 Hawkeyes gained 1,509 rushing yards and 1,319 passing yards. On defense, they gave up 1,493 rushing yards and 858 passing yards. The pass defense of 95.3 yards per game is the eighth best in Iowa history.
The team's statistical leaders included quarterback Matt Szykowny (79-of-120 passing, 1,078 yards), fullback Bill Perkins (380 rushing yards), end Cloyd Webb (25 receptions for 425 yards), and fullback Joe Williams (54 points scored, including a 100-yard kickoff return for touchdown against Notre Dame). Senior center Bill Van Buren was selected by The Sporting News as a first-team All-American. Senior tackle Al Hinton was selected as the team's most valuable player. Van Buren and quarterback Wilburn Hollis were the team captains.
The team played its home games at Iowa Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa. Home attendance totaled 290,250, an average of 58,050 per game. The per game attendance from 1961 was a school record until 1979.